Hatching Guinea keets... Questions

[PD-Riverman]

Did they hatch on day 28, earlier or later?

 

[PD-Riverman]

What kind of incubator do you use?

Now I mainly use my homemade ones you can see in my pic. I have used the older little giants but my hatch rate was not as high. I have about 15 Styrofoam----I like my 1602n the most but use others. In the last couple years or longer I been mainly using the cabinets. Only use the Styrofoam when the cabinets are full.

 

[sunflower7]

Did they hatch on day 28, earlier or later?

I had a few hatch on day 25 and the rest (the other few) hatched on day 28 and 29.

 

[PD-Riverman]

The little giants we have had always had a fan in them, but this last new one we bought has a suspended gauge that measures the heat and humidity. It hangs from the ceiling - doesn't touch the floor or the eggs. The old ones had that wire thing on the plastic square that rested on the eggs.

Did you check the built in meters? I do not trust them at all.

 

[sunflower7]

Now I mainly use my homemade ones you can see in my pic. I have used the older little giants but my hatch rate was not as high. I have about 15 Styrofoam----I like my 1602n the most but use others. In the last couple years or longer I been mainly using the cabinets. Only use the Styrofoam when the cabinets are full.

That is impressive you made your own! Did you buy a kit? I know the big ones I have inquired about are really expensive.

 

[sunflower7]

Did you check the built in meters? I do not trust them at all.

I put a digital therm. in there and tried to calibrate them that way before I even started. I guess that's not to know if it held its heat throughout the 28 days.... hmmm.

 

[PD-Riverman]

That is impressive you made your own! Did you buy a kit? I know the big ones I have inquired about are really expensive.

No just looked at a pic on line----LOL, bet you can not tell which brand I was looking at----LOL.

 

[sunflower7]

You know... what just continues to amaze me, is watching the guineas get on and off their nests, go eat around the farm and come back to their nest and hatch 25 chicks! We saw them do this last year. I guess nothing is better that Mother Nature. Especially my Little Giant. haha

 

[sunflower7]

No just looked at a pic on line----LOL, bet you can not tell which brand I was looking at----LOL.

Wow! Well, I am really impressed!! Good for you!

 

[PD-Riverman]

Hatching on day 25 sounds as though the heat was a little to hot, but then the rest on day 28/29??? Uneven heat maybe??

Let me tell you quickly what I do. I set the humidity at about 30/35%---never any higher for the incubation, then I raise it to about 80% for the hatch. With some of the built in meters----49% humidity drowns a lot of chicks before they hatch because they are usually off. I Know my temp meters are correct or corrected because I set/mark them by the hatch length/days. If the eggs hatch on time---I mark them by what they are reading, no mater if its 98 or 101 or what ever. My guinea eggs and chicken eggs usually always hatch on time. I do not have some hatch days apart? I never open my incubators during the lock down---for Nothing. Others do---and they can if they want---I just know what works for me and Opening during lock-down always caused a disaster.